I Can't Lose You
by Alyssa In Chains
Summary: Set post Episode 2x21 - Klaus is dead, and everyone's survived... so far. What happens when Elena, thus far ignorant of Damon's werewolf bite, suddenly is faced with losing someone more important to her than she'd realized? Pure Delena SMUT. Ye be warned.
1. Chapter 1

_**Grammatical Errors corrected 05.02.11**_

A/N: Hey, guys! So, this is the first story I'm publishing here, and I hope you like it. It's set post episode 2x21. (Even though we don't yet know what happens in 2x21. haha) Klaus is dead, and everyone's survived... so far. I intend for this to be a short, but we'll see how it goes. :) I'll try to not take too long between uploads! Promise. Feel free to R&R if so moved. hehe :) And beware - this story will, by most odds, include a bit of **smut**. So if that's not your thing, you might not want to read this! Consider yourselves forewarned! haha

Oh, and one last thing, this has not been Betaed, so there may be mistakes I haven't yet caught. I'm in search of a Beta Reader, so if anyone would like to volunteer their services, let me know! :)

*****DISCLAIMER***** _I do **NOT** own Vampire Diaries or the characters associated with Vampire Diaries. This is simply my way of paying tribute to a wonderful storyline. No copyright infringement intended. _

Chapter One_  
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The threat was over. Klaus was dead. And everything in Elena's life was turned upside down.

She supposed she should be glad she still had a life. True to form, Damon had gone off the reservation and complicated things all to hell. As a result, Aunt Jenna was now being thrust into a form of life she'd only just discovered existed. And Elena was still human.

Elena pulled her jacket tighter around her as the cool, spring wind picked up on top of the waterfall. She'd asked Stefan to bring her back here. She'd also asked him to leave her for a while. She needed to be alone; needed to think. It seemed to her like every time she got her feet back under her and started to feel halfway in control of her life, something happened to knock them back out from under her. She needed some time to figure out where she stood on everything that had transpired, and to start to deal with it.

Damon.

It all came down to Damon. She tried to be angry with him, tried to hate him. But she couldn't. He'd terrified her when he'd forced her to take his blood, when suddenly her fate seemed to be leading her toward a life of vampirism. But she understood why he'd done it. Even as he'd held his wrist against her mouth, even as she'd cried to Stefan about how she'd never wanted to become a vampire, she'd understood. Love, especially that of the obsessive quality, could make the most sane person in the world do the unthinkable. And he did love her. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that Damon loved her. Fiercely. Knowing it had made her uncomfortable; especially on the occasions when it seemed like the force of it was pulling her steadily toward him against her will. But at the same time, she admitted now, it gave her comfort. Elena knew, without a doubt, that Damon would always do whatever it took to protect her. And in this, they were the same. No matter the price, even if the price was her life, she'd do whatever she could to protect those she loved.

And she loved Damon.

Elena had long ago admitted to herself that her feelings toward the elder Salvatore brother were anything but platonic, but fear of hurting either him or Stefan the way Katherine had had made her determined to hide it. And she'd done so, successfully. Perhaps that was why, when everyone around her thought that she should hate Damon, she simply couldn't. How could she hate him for wanting to save her life? It was true, his actions had had consequences; consequences that left Aunt Jenna in limbo somewhere between life and death. And, for that at least, she should blame him. But what would have been the alternative? To have let Caroline and Tyler die? No. Risking her life to kill Klaus was one thing, but never the lives of her friends. If Damon had never tried to interfere with Klaus' plans, they might never have known Klaus had intended to use Caroline and Tyler in the sacrifice until it was too late. Her friends could have died that night.

Elena took a deep, cleansing breath of the air that was whipping her hair around her face, and gazed out over the tree tops, green again with new, spring leaves. From up here, it seemed like the world was at peace. It's amazing how deceptive appearances can be. Elena wondered what it was like for all of those people living under the rooftops she could just barely see peeking out from below the forest canopy; what it was like to live in complete ignorance of all the supernatural elements of the world. So much had happened in the last year and a half, it could have filled a lifetime, and she no longer could remember what it felt like to be blissfully ignorant of vampires, werewolves, and witches, oh my. One could argue that if she hadn't met Stefan she might have continued to have lived unaware of everything going on around her. But Elena knew that would never have been. For good or for bad, this was her destiny. Her life's path was intricately woven with the supernatural.

Hearing Stefan's footsteps behind her, she looked back at him over her shoulder.

"Are you ready, or do you need some more time?" His expression was warm and supportive, yet cautious, too, as if he'd expected her to have some sort of epiphany during his absence that would shake his world even more than it had already been shaken. She hadn't made any life-altering decisions over the last 30 minutes, but she had this uneasy feeling in her stomach that seemed to be prophesying that there was still something looming in the near future that would change everything all over again.

"I'm ready…I think."

"If you need some more time…" Stefan's concerned expression had the feeling of premonition intensifying, and suddenly she was anxious to return home, to the boarding house.

"No, I'm ready."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Walking into the boarding house, Elena heard the quiet chatter of voices come to a sudden halt. The dread she'd been feeling atop the waterfall grew, and as she walked into the den, it exploded full force. Caroline was on the hearth, stoking a newly-lit fire. Damon was in his usual chair, swishing around two fingers of whiskey in a tumbler, looking agitated. And then there was Bonnie and Jeremy, sitting on the end of the couch closest to Damon, looking worried and anxious. It was the last two that bothered Elena the most. While neither harbored antagonistic feelings toward Damon any longer, they were by no means the best of friends, and the site of them huddled near Damon was, at the very least, unusual.

"What's going on?" Elena asked, suspicion clearly audible in her voice.

"We're waiting on Elijah." Jeremy's reply was the nail in the coffin, so to speak. Why would Elijah be on his way to the boarding house? Elena had thought that with the death of Klaus, Elijah, having accomplished his mission, would've been on his way out of town by now. Elena could feel the panic begin to course through her system.

Something was wrong here. Something was very, very wrong.

Rising from her crouched position next to the fireplace, Caroline looked to Stefan.

"You and I need to go see to Jenna. Alaric's been with her since you left. I told him we'd take over when you got back with Elena." Elena knew the expression on Stefan's face was reluctant assent when he nodded at Caroline, but before he and Caroline could leave the den, Elena put her hand up to stop them.

"Wait." She'd had enough. "What's going on? Why is Elijah coming over here?"

Stefan glanced at Damon broodingly before answering her.

"You should talk to Damon." Elena noticed that Damon, still sitting in his chair, continued to stare unseeingly at the floor in front of him, giving no sign that he was paying any attention to the people around him. Finally, Elena gave a frustrated sigh, and let Stefan and Caroline pass. Looking uneasy, Bonnie stood up from the couch.

"I should probably go have a talk with my Dad. I don't think he's very happy with my disappearing act." Holding out a hand to Jeremy, she asked, "Drive me over?" Jeremy glanced at Elena nervously, before standing up. As they left, Jeremy put a hand on Elena's shoulder, squeezing gently, as if to comfort her. What the hell was going on?

"I'll be right back." Elena watched Jeremy and Bonnie leave before she turned back to Damon. Why was everyone, very conspicuously, leaving her alone with Damon? As she walked to the couch to take the spot Bonnie had just vacated, Damon finally broke his trance and looked up at Elena. Damon, who'd always been so good at keeping his emotions relatively hidden, looked crushed. And very, very _pissed_.

Reaching out to take the hand he'd left on the armrest, as much for her own comfort as for his, Elena tried to find her voice.

"Damon, what's wrong?" For a long moment he just stared into her eyes.

How could he tell her? Damon knew Elena wasn't in love with him, but he knew she cared. How could he tell the person he loved more than life that she was going to lose yet another person she loved? All because he'd been an idiot and wrestled with a werewolf. How could he hurt her like that? On any normal day, he had smartass, snarky retorts for every question or statement he heard. Today, when he really needed something to diffuse the tension, he had nothing.

Letting his gaze roam over Elena's face, Damon tried to memorize her. He didn't have much time left to be with her, to know her, but he wanted every feature to be perfect in his memory. He knew her face would be the last thing he thought of before he died, and he needed to know the exact color of her eyes, the exact shape of her lips, the curve of her nose.

"Damon?" Despite the world crumbling under his feet, Damon felt his lips quirk up slightly into something resembling a smile. Beneath the worry, Elena was getting irritated. She was cute and feisty when she was irritated, and Damon loved nothing more than finding as many ways to get under her skin as possible. God, he loved her. Damon swallowed thickly against the emotion rising in him, and tried to come up with a reply. If he couldn't be sarcastic, he could at least try for flippant.

"There's been a tiny…hiccup… in our happily-ever-after." He could see it, the wheels in her head beginning to turn, trying to figure out what he meant.

"Hiccup? What kind of 'hiccup'?" she asked, bracing herself for some bad news she really didn't want.

Damon smirked, lifting his tumbler of whiskey up in a mock-salute to fate.

"The kind were I end up dead." He thought for a moment and then added, "_Dead_ dead."

Elena had frozen still, her expression pained and looking as though a feather's touch could make her shatter into a million pieces. Concern for her had Damon dropping the attitude and taking her hands into his.

"Sorry. I guess I could have put that better." He could feel her hands beginning to tremble.

"What are you talking about? Is Elijah - " Elena could hear the panic rising in her voice before Damon cut her off.

"It's not Elijah." Pushing up his shirt sleeve, Damon revealed the werewolf bite. Seeing it, Elena gasped, understanding what it was instantly; comprehending what it meant. Her eyes found Damon's, and they were wide with fear, shining with the tears that were beginning to gather.

"Damon, what did you do?" Elena's voice was barely a whisper.

"I decided to have a fun, little wrestling match with our friendly, neighborhood werewolf."

Elena had to get up. She had to move. Pacing in front of the fireplace, she tried to get control of herself. No matter how bad things had gotten, she'd always been able to get a hold of her emotions long enough to try to figure out some kind of plan. But she was in a panic, and she couldn't dampen it down. This time was different. This time the fear went soul deep.

"This can't be happening…" Oh, God. She felt like she couldn't breathe. "Damon, I can't handle this."

The trembling in her body intensified. She was falling apart. Damon was by her side in an instant. He and Elena weren't normally prone to showing affection to one another, but Damon didn't care. He took her into his arms and tried to comfort her as best he could, fighting back his own tears. Crying was _so_ not manly.

"I can't… I can't lose you." Burying her face in his chest, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held on as tightly as she could, wondering how her arms didn't break from the force. Resting his head against the top of hers, Damon smirked.

"I seem to remember confessing the same sentiments to you less than 48 hours ago." Oh, how their positions had reversed…

Elena had never felt this before; this overpowering fear that was crippling in its intensity; a sense of profound grief for something, _someone_ she hadn't even lost yet. Even when Stefan had been taken hostage by the tomb vampires, she hadn't felt this frantic, this desperate. And where she'd always thought she loved both of the brother's with virtually equal intensity, she knew now that was never the case. Elena's love for Stefan was warm and sweet, and comfortable. The feelings she had for Damon, however, could never be described as such. They were all-consuming, and greedy, and felt like they were all but burning their way through her veins. They knew no end. And the thought of facing the rest of her life without him was enough to bring her to her knees. Elena's tears began to soak through Damon's black dress shirt, and she could no longer control her own breathing.

"I can't live without you, Damon." Damon immediately stiffened. Elena's voice had been low, but her words were clear. This couldn't be happening. This _seriously_ couldn't be happening. Fate was truly a bitch if it was going to give him the one thing he'd always needed, but never managed to acquire, at the very moment when his life was ending.

"I think you've got the wrong brother. I'm the dick, remember?" Elena shook her head.

"No. I know exactly who I've got." Refusing to be a coward, Elena lifted her head from it's place on his chest to look Damon in the eye. "I love you, Damon. I always have."

Suddenly, Damon realized where he was. He was standing in the arms of the woman he loved, and being offered her love in return. All hell might be raining down around them, but, for the moment, he couldn't care less. Damon's attention dropped down to her mouth, and he knew heaven was only a scant couple inches away.

"I hate to break into your precious, tender moment, but I think you need my help." Both Elena and Damon turned to look at the doorway.

Elijah.

And behind him stood Stefan.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:** Hey, guys.. I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've updated! My life has thrown a bunch of not too good stuff at me over the last few months, and I've been so busy, I honestly just forgot about the story! So, again, sorry!_

_This chapter's rather short, but I've got about 75% of the next chapter already written. I'd wanted to wait until I had chapter four done before I posted this chapter (because of it's shortness), but I hit a bit of a wall, and I wanted to go ahead and get this one out to you. Hopefully I'll have chapter four ready for you by the end of the week. :) And, just so you know all know, this chapter was actually already written before ep 2x22 aired. (Yea, I know, I should've posted a long time ago. haha) So...one of the details in here I did NOT steal from the actual plot of the show. I was just that good. ;) hahaha ALRIGHT. So, on to Chapter Three!_

**Chapter Three**

"Stefan…" Elena trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Seeing Stefan standing in the doorway, Elena's heart sank to her stomach. He'd no doubt heard her confession to Damon. And, her feelings for Damon aside, Elena loved Stefan, and hurting him was the last thing she'd ever wanted to do. He'd saved her life, both literally and figuratively, more times than she could count. He'd been there for her, even just this morning, and seeing the hurt in his eyes cut her deeply. Stepping toward him, she tried to think of a way to tell him she was sorry. But before she could move more than a foot, Elijah brought them all back to more pressing matters.

"You can deal with your little love triangle later, Elena. I believe there are more urgent issues to deal with at the moment." Glancing at Elijah, Elena nodded, then took a deep breath before looking back at Stefan and mouthing the words "I'm sorry". His replying nod was stiff, and he shifted his focus away from her face, his jaw tense.

"So, I hear you had some bad luck with a werewolf, Damon. You do realize that if this works, I'll have saved your life six times now." Damon's mouth fell open slightly. When Stefan has suggested getting a hold of Elijah earlier this morning, Damon hadn't actually thought there'd be a chance of a cure. Hadn't even hoped for it. With the way his life had gone on for the past 148 years, experience had taught him luck was never on his side, and that hope was the devil's cruelest and sharpest sword. Nothing hurt worse than having hope ripped away from you. Except, perhaps, being away from Elena.

When Damon remained silent, Elijah lifted an eyebrow. "What, no witticism?"'

"I find myself feeling particularly generous right now."

Elijah smirked. "I should hope so."

Damon nodded pensively, his brow furrowing. Walking up to Elijah, Damon offered his hand. Elijah, though looking wary, took it, and they shook.

"Thank you." Damon's tone was sincere.

"I haven't done anything yet. I don't even know that what I have in mind will work."

"I know. Still, thank you." Elijah accepted his gratitude with a brief smile.

"Well. Perhaps we should get started then."

Having regained some of her composure, and embracing a bit of cautious optimism, Elena joined Damon by Elijah, slipping her hand into his and lacing their fingers together. Smiling up into Damon's somewhat surprised, pale blue eyes, she squeezed his hand, then turned her attention to Elijah.

"What's your idea?"

"It's not another bottle of some witchy potion brewed up half a millennium ago, is it?" The look Elena threw Damon held a reprimand.

"I'm just saying…," he soothed, "After five hundred years, that stuff could _not_ taste good." Elena's lips twitched into a reluctant smile as she rolled her eyes.

"No, there's no elixir. Something much simpler, and, I'm afraid, not as reliable." Elijah explained. "Over the centuries our bodies gain strength, develop certain immunities. After a thousand years, we are nearly indestructible; except, as you all well know, when confronted with a silver dagger and the ash from a specific class of white oak tree, now extinct. Therefore, werewolf bites have since become nothing more than a minor irritation for myself and others like me."

"How does that help Damon?" Hearing Stefan speak for the first time since he'd returned with Elijah caused an awkward beat to pass before Elijah continued. "I'm not sure that it will. My theory would work along the same lines of giving vampire blood to a human. Vampire blood can heal any wounds inflicted upon a human that a vampire would easily overcome. Perhaps my blood can heal for Damon, the wounds his body is not yet able to withstand."

While what Elijah proposed made sense, Elena was a little less than convinced.

"Have you ever… tested this theory?" She hoped like hell that he had.

"Never. I've thought of it from time to time, but… like my brother, I rarely involve myself in the troubles of others."

"Why are you involving yourself now?" Had it been anyone but Elena asking, Elijah would have simply shrugged them off. But Elena was a different story.

"You trusted me to keep my word, and helped me stop my brother. I feel I owe you, and I don't like to leave my debts unsettled."

"So, how do you want to do this?" Damon asked. "The traditional way, a little fang-on-flesh action? Or would you prefer I find some kind of Snoop Dogg chalice?" A corner of Elijah's mouth lifted into a half smile. He'd come to appreciate Damon's wry sense of humor.

"Let's keep things simple, shall we?" he asked, unbuttoning the cuff of the maroon dress shirt and rolling up the sleeve. Offering his wrist, he nodded to Damon his assent.

Damon hesitated. This was the moment of truth. Everything came down to this one moment. Either Elijah's blood would save his life, or it would be useless, and in less than 48 hours he'd be dead; either by the infection or his own hand. Letting his canines lengthen, Damon took Elijah's proffered wrist, and sank his fangs into it, letting the blood flow out and into his mouth. He drank, deeply, but briefly. It wouldn't matter if he took a few milliliters or Elijah's entire blood supply. If it was going to work, it would work. Or not work. Wiping the blood from his mouth on the back of his hand, Damon nodded his thanks to Elijah.

"How do you feel?" Elena's eyes were intent on Damon's, and he could see the hope intermingled with the anxiety. Suddenly, an intense burning pain coursed through his bitten arm, so severe that it took all of Damon's strength to keep from screaming out. They'd been wrong.

Elijah's blood wasn't the cure. It was the final blow.


	4. Chapter 4

****_A/N - Wow, guys. I'm SO SORRY! I've been a terrible author and left you hanging for months now. :( This chapter gave me a lot of trouble, and I set it aside for a while. Along with a lot of personal things in my life going absolutely crazy, writing had to be put on the back burner. I apologize for that, and to make it up to you, here's an long **SMUTTY** chapter for you. :) _

_I repeat - ***SMUT WARNING*** - if you're easily offended, DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER.  
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_For all others, Happy reading! :)  
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_- Alyssa  
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**Chapter Four**

Elena watched as Damon dropped down onto his knees, clutching his arm to himself. His face was twisted in agony, and all she could think was _'No'_. That one word repeated itself over and over again in her mind._ No, no, no, no , no, no…_

Dropping down next to Damon, she reached for him.

"What's wrong? Damon? Talk to me! Tell me what's wrong!"

"It burns." Damon spat the words out between clenched teeth, groaning unwillingly as the pain intensified. She had to do something. Elena couldn't stand to just kneel there, watching him suffer. There was only one thing she could think of that might help him. Blood. Vampires need blood. And that she could supply. Elena pulled her hair around to one side, leaving her neck exposed, then grabbed Damon's chin, forcing him to look at her.

"Let me help you." At first Damon was confused, but when Elena tilted her head to the side, comprehension dawned, then was swiftly replaced by disbelief and fury.

"NO!" His monosyllabic reply was growled out violently, and he tried to push her away, realizing as he did so that he was severely weakened. It was as if his entire body was so focused on withstanding the pain that expending any strength on any other effort was impossible.

"Do it, damn it!" Elena was crying now. Seeing Damon in so much pain was killing her, and to stand by helplessly wasn't an option. Even if it wouldn't help him at all, she at least had to _try._ "Drink!"

Out of nowhere, two arms lifted her away from Damon, her arms trapped at her sides. She kicked and screamed at her captor, turning all of her frustration against him.

"Elena!" Stefan's voice boomed in her ear. "Elena, stop! It won't help him! You can't help him!"

_You can't help him._ Those four words were the proverbial bucket of cold water. All of the fight and anger drained from her body, leaving her limp. Stefan allowed her to slump down onto the floor, following her down. Elena rested her head against her knees as racking sobs shook her body. When she started to crawl back over to Damon, Stefan restrained her, grasping her arm.

"Let me go," she begged. Her voice was thin and weak.

"I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself."

"I won't." Even though she knew the words were going to hurt Stefan, she had to say them. "I need to be with him." Elena's eyes were apologetic, asking him to understand. Though he did so reluctantly, Stefan released his hold on her arm.

Reaching Damon, Elena put her arms around him and held him as he panted through the pain, resting her head against his shoulder. After a few minutes, his muscles began to relax from their rigid state and Damon began to breathe more deeply. She brushed his sweat-dampened hair back from his face, and maneuvered so that she could look him in the eye.

"Is it better?"

Damon nodded weakly. "It's easing up." Rather than his blood surging through his veins at a rolling boil, it was now merely simmering. While still considerably uncomfortable, he no longer felt like he was being burned alive from the inside out. Pulling his sleeve up, the bite had become even more reddened and swollen than it had been before.

"I apologize, Damon. Despite what I'd said earlier, I really thought it would work." Elena had all but forgotten Elijah, and when he spoke, the reminder that he had been their last, and only, hope hit her hard. It took all of her inner strength to keep from breaking down again.

Damon shrugged at Elijah. "You tried." That was more than he'd expected. Upon trying to stand, Damon found that his strength was still severely weakened, and he began to list to one side. Elena quickly wrapped an arm around his waist to help support some of his weight, the worry in her eyes intensifying.

Elijah knew better than to offer his assistance. Damon wasn't one to accept help easily, not for himself anyway, from anyone other than those he most trusted. Instead, Elijah extended a hand to Damon.

"It's been a pleasure."

Damon smirked as he accepted the handshake. "Bullshit."

Elijah chuckled, and with a nod, left the boarding house.

The air in the house immediately became suffocating. Only the three of them - Damon, Elena, and Stefan - remained in the home. For Elena, there was a fourth presence - guilt. It was almost like a living, breathing entity standing right there in the room with them. She felt horrible. She knew she somehow had to make things right with Stefan, but right then was not the time. Damon was having trouble standing on his own, and her own strength was going to give out soon. Looking to Stefan, she reluctantly asked for his assistance.

"Help me take him upstairs? I don't think I can support him on my own much longer."

Stefan didn't answer her. He simply came forward and took hold of Damon, slinging one of his brother's arms around his neck, and leading him up the stairs.

"Sorry, little brother." Damon's words had been quiet, but meaningful. Damon didn't do apologies, not willingly. This was the first time Stefan had ever received one, and he knew the simple words were meant to encompass all transgressions Damon had ever made against him, not just for their current situation. Yet Stefan remained silent. Though Stefan knew that his brother, in what was now certainly his final hours, probably needed his forgiveness, Stefan simply couldn't give it. Not yet. But he honestly hoped that he'd have enough time to give Damon what he needed before… well, before "the end." Depositing Damon on his massive bed, Stefan immediately turned to leave.

"I'm gonna take a walk." Elena could hear the pain in Stefan's voice, and knew she couldn't let things go unsaid between them any longer.

"Stefan-" He paused at the doorway, leaving his back to Elena.

"Elena, I get it. Alright? I understand. It's okay." With that, he quickly left.

Elena wanted to go after him. She knew he understood what had happened; that he knew her well enough to know that she'd never intended to fall for Damon. But she needed to apologize, to tell him how sorry she was, and that she'd never wanted to betray him. And she would have time for that. Later. Right now, Damon was infinitely more important than getting Stefan's forgiveness.

Sitting down beside Damon, where he lay prone on the bed, Elena brushed her hand through his hair.

"You're going to suffocate yourself laying like that."

"I'm a vampire. We can't suffocate." Damon's reply was slurred and muffled by the pillow into which his face was buried.

"Then why do you breathe?"

"Have _you _ever tried not breathing? It's just a little bit uncomfortable."

"Exactly. Not all suffocation is fatal." There was an extended pause before Damon replied.

"I'm dying. _I'm_ supposed to win." Damon felt her hand go still in his hair, and could have kicked himself for drawing even more attention to the dire situation. He prepared himself for the energy it was going to take to turn himself over, and was surprised when it didn't take as much effort as he'd expected. Some of his strength must be returning, though he was confused as to why.

Taking Elena's hand into his own, and bringing it to his lips, he kissed her knuckles tenderly.

"Sorry."

Elena tried to smile, but it felt shaky, even to her. "It's okay."

Though each of them tried to find something to say, they both knew that right then, words were superfluous, unnecessary. They simply looked at each other, drinking in all they could about the other and committing it to memory. Damon memorized every feature, the fullness of her bottom lip, the delicate arch of her eyebrow. Elena got lost in the beautiful pale blue of his eyes, and the open vulnerability in them. Raising up onto his elbow, Damon reached out, slipping his hand under her dark hair to cup the back of her neck, gently pulling her down toward him. Damon paused when his lips were just a breath away from hers.

"I don't think I got to say this earlier… I love you, Elena. So much."

Elena nodded infinitesimally. "I know. I love you, too." Elena could feel a sob rising in her throat, and knew she'd never be able to say more than that without breaking down. Then, finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Damon's lips met hers. His lips were soft, and warm, and tasted sweeter than she could have imagined. _Home._ This was home.

Damon tried to be gentle with her, to give her the romantic first kiss she deserved - but what he felt for her wasn't gentle. It was animalistic, a physical need that overtook him swiftly. Almost immediately he was pulling her closer to him and taking full possession of her mouth. Pressing his thumb against her chin firmly, he opened her mouth to him, slipping his tongue between her lips and kissing her deeply.

Elena was losing herself. Every hungry brush of his tongue against hers sent electric pulses throughout her body, until it felt as if she were humming with enough volts to power a small city. Letting herself be pulled down on top of him, Elena choked back a groan as their bodies connected. She could feel the heat from his chest warming hers through the thin barriers of their clothing. Elena gasped in surprise when she felt him lift her so that she was lying fully on top of him, her thighs straddling his waist. She hadn't thought he had that much strength left. It was that thought that broke her trance, and she pulled back from him, ashamed of herself for actually forgetting how sick he was.

"Damon, we shouldn't be doing this." Damon understood what she meant. The experience with Rose had given them some idea of what to expect of the coming hours - the rabid-like hunger and intense delusions being only two of the symptoms to come. They were also the two symptoms that would put Elena in the most danger. But Damon was feeling okay. The burning in his veins and arm had finally disappeared, and he no longer felt like he'd lose a fight against a seven-year-old girl. He also knew they didn't have much time left together that wouldn't involve coughing up blood and virtual insanity. He needed this time with her. _They_ needed it. It was their last chance.

"I'm okay, Elena." Elena started to shake her head and move off of him, but he held her still, taking her face in his hands.

"Look at me. Right now, I'm fine." Damon looked meaningfully into her eyes. "We need this."

Damon hated the sadness he saw creep into her eyes, the realization that this would be their only chance to be together. Brushing a hand through her dark hair, he let his trademark smirk slip into place.

"You don't _really_ wanna miss out on this, do ya?" Elena's snort and accompanying eye-roll was comfortingly familiar to both of them, but the humor in their eyes soon faded, replaced by an awareness and intensity they'd never allowed themselves to have with the other. As Elena looked down at Damon, she willed all thoughts of the future beyond this moment back into a deep corner of her mind. All that mattered was that she was there, with Damon, in love, and loved in return. She watched him as she lowered her lips to his. Watched as heat warmed his icy blue eyes until the look seared her, sending shivers down her spine and causing her eye lids to flutter shut. Cupping the back of her neck, Damon took control of the kiss, his lips becoming firmer. So lost was she in Damon that Elena never realized he was reversing their positions until she felt the bed beneath her - and by then she didn't care. The weight of Damon's body pressing hers against the mattress was heavenly, the feeling of his hips cradled between her thighs unbearably erotic. Elena snaked her hands between them, frantically working at the buttons of his shirt. Damon knew he could have them both naked in less than four seconds, but the feeling of her fingertips brushing against his skin as she undressed him was well worth the torture of taking a slower pace. After unfastening the last button on his shirt, Elena slid her hands up his torso from the waist of his black jeans, over his washboard abs, to his shoulders, her fingers brushing his nipples along the way. She could feel his muscles trembling as they felt her touch; the knowledge of her effect on him sending a reciprocal shiver through her own body.

Damon's lips burned their way from her mouth to her throat, zeroing in on her pulse point. Were it any other woman, he'd not waste a moment's thought before sinking in his fangs and taking what the vampire in him always wanted. Seduction was, after all, part of the hunt. But with Elena, only the man in him was making demands, and his hunger for her had nothing to do with her blood. Instead, he gently sucked at the delicate skin of her neck, reveling in the satisfaction of making her pulse pound quicker and quicker. Slipping a hand under her shirt, he skimmed his fingers over her stomach before filling his palm with her breast. Elena gasped softly as he began gently massaging her through her bra.

It wasn't enough. Elena couldn't stand this slow seduction. She was burning for him, and needed to feel his skin against hers. Tugging at her shirt, Elena managed to get it over her head and threw it down onto the floor. Sensing her urgency, Damon made quick work of her bra and slung it across the room, his lips latching onto her nipple hungrily. Her throaty moan making him harder than he already was, he ground his hips into hers. The feeling of his hardness grinding against her caused an unbearable throbbing at her center, and she frantically started trying to undo Damon's belt. Desire surging between them, Damon took over, stripping both himself and Elena of the last of their clothing in record time. He took a moment to look at Elena's uncovered body before returning to her, capturing her lips in a searing kiss that left both of them gasping for breath. Elena ran her hands over the breadth of his strong shoulders before reaching for him, his length heavy and hot against her thigh. Damon moaned and buried his face in her neck as she wrapped her small hand around him. The feeling of her hand working him up and down and her thumb brushing over his tip was enough to bring him to the edge.

"Elena, you need to stop." Damon's voice was hoarse and he was breathless. Elena smiled up at him knowingly, squeezing him lightly. His amused chuckle turned into a groan as she redoubled her efforts. He quickly covered her hand with his own, stopping her ministrations. Taking both of her hands and placing them above her head, Damon smirked devilishly.

"Stay."

Damon nipped her bottom lip playfully before kissing his way down the column of her throat, not stopping until he'd reached her left breast. Drawing her nipple into his mouth, he suckled her, taking it between his teeth and biting her gently, while his hand ran lightly over her stomach and up to her other breast, kneading it. Elena's breathing quickened and she felt her skin begin to blush as she succumbed to Damon's attentions, the wetness and tension between her thighs increasing to an almost unbearable level. Forgetting his orders, her hands slipped down from above her head, her fingers threading through Damon's hair, holding his hot mouth to her breast.

Damon reveled in her soft moans and restless movements. He could smell her arousal, and he groaned as he imagined how it would feel to bury himself in her tight, wet heat. Before he let himself experience that supreme pleasure, however, he first needed to taste her. He needed to drive her beyond all reason before he took her. If this was to be their only time together, he wanted it to be something she'd remember for the rest of her beautiful life. Damon trailed his tongue along the underside of her breast before slowly kissing his way down her torso. As he got lower and lower, Elena's grip on his hair tightened.

"Damon?"

Looking up into her eyes, Damon realized she was nervous. He smirked. _Little Brother must not have taken good care of you. _Damon tried to reassure her with his eyes, holding her gaze as he trailed a hand over her hip and down to her thigh, gently pressing against it to open her up wider to him. He slowly then ran his hand back up her thigh, inching closer and closer to her heat. Damon savored her soft gasp and the fluttering of her eyelids as his fingers reached their destination. Holding eye contact, he lowered his head to her mound, replacing his fingers with his mouth. Her gasp of surprise turned into a guttural moan of pleasure as he laved her with his tongue, pressing it firmly against her clit with long strokes before teasing it with the tip. Her head fell back against the bed in submission as Damon continued to drive her higher and higher.

Elena couldn't hold still, undulating her hips toward his face. She could feel herself getting close to that edge, begging him not to stop. All of a sudden she felt Damon slip a finger into her tight passage, then two, sliding them in and out frantically. When he started curling them toward the ceiling, hitting that special spot, she lost it.

Damon couldn't help the sheer masculine pride that raced through him when Elena moaned out his name and her back arched, her walls clamping down around his fingers. He helped her to ride it out before sliding up her body and kissing her with all the passion he possessed. Before Elena even had a chance to come down from her climax, Damon pulled her legs up around his waist and pushed into her, sinking down into her heat to the hilt. The feeling of being completely sheathed in her momentarily knocked the breath out of his lungs, and he dropped his forehead down to hers. After a moment, he kissed the tip of her nose, then began slowly driving his manhood in and out of her.

As Damon rose above her, his intense blue eyes staring down into hers as he thrust into her, Elena felt the full weight of the soul-deep connection she had with him. With their bodies intimately connected, and all emotional walls crumbled into dust, she could feel the full depth of her love for him. He was a part of her, and she a part of him, and nothing, not even death, could separate them.


End file.
